Clerith Week 2017
by sanctum-c
Summary: Prompt fills for Clerith Week on Tumblr. Cloud of the Mountain: George of the Jungle fusion: Life gets weird for Aeris during her attempt to find the mythic talking cat of Mount Nibel.
1. Anticipating the Hunt

April, nearly May; a good six months before the hunts would begin once again. Despite the temporal distance, Aeris refused to wait any longer before preparing, even if it felt outright foolish to anticipate those long torturous nights out in the streets. Those times when even members of the community became warped by the old blood and changed into something other. Not hard to deal with but with them would come worse creatures, creeping out from the deep shadow and growing in confidence as the hours wore on. The hunt would happen as it always had, as it seemed destined always to.

Aeris paused as she dug the saw-cleaver from the cupboard she tossed it into last December. Beside her Cloud made a face at the state of Ludwig's Buster Blade; both their signature weapons bore stains from the dried blood and ichor of their targets. Focus. The hunts provided their means to afford such a home as their current abode. The thrill of finally gaining a home like this, the desire to forget November meant even basic maintenance of their tools of the trade had been low on their priorities in the aftermath. Add the exhaustion, the special circumstances of the hunt and it was remarkable at times they would ever consider going back out there. But inevitably they would and if not prepared now they would suffer later. Just as well she insisted they start now.

Her hand drifted to her throat as they carried equipment out onto the back lawn. The visceral feel of Gehrman's blade against her neck was still so vivid. Hard to forget the moment she knelt before him, taking his offer to end the dream. The pause as he moved in near silence- Then the swish of the scythe through the air, the split second of doubt, the unwanted question: was Gehrman lying? The impact of the blade was missing from her memory, but it was not hard to imagine how it would feel as the blade cut into her- At the time her doubts evaporated as soon as she opened her eyes; dawn was breaking over Yharnam. Cloud lay beside her and for a moment perhaps she could even believe all of it had been nothing more than a dream; a strange fancy resulting from a difficult hunt.

If only Cloud had not echoed the last words the Doll spoke, if only the heat of the flames and the smell of smoke were not still so visceral. If only she did not remember those strange places- Maybe then she might believe it had truly been a dream. Denial was no such luxury here. "Feeling up to it?" Cloud's gentle voice broke into her thoughts and brought her back to the sunlight. She smiled at him.

"Of course. Even if I didn't; it needs to be done." All too easy to put off for another day, though such a decision would likely lead to an endless pause - and they would find themselves beginning the hunt and woefully unprepared. At best their weapons would be blunt and of little use; at worst any laziness now would risk their deaths come Autumn.

Cloud pulled the Buster Blade apart. Like her he had been reticent - more so than usual - to discuss his experiences during the last hunt. That final night began with such a familiar feel, nothing new or troublesome to their work; merely long, arduous and seemingly unending. At first they had moments to spare in which they called on each other; the beckoning bells made such contact trivial. But the night became something else as the hours passed and the moon reddened. As the hunt became more intense.

No hunt the pair participated in before had featured the tall figures clutching those black sacks, and no route, no pursuit had ever taken Aeris as far as Byrgenwreth. Setting foot there- No. It was not her fault. She could not believe it was because of her. Even if her arrival there was the moment the hunt seemed to change. Or rather, not her arrival at the school, so much as when she plummeted into the depths of the lake and faced the spider. Was he the Rom Micolash had ranted of? Like the spider, the man had fallen to her weapon, his babbling silenced and his death left her almost alone in that building. Almost. The place she continued to ascend and-

Aeris pulled the saw-cleaver into her lap and flicked the hinge open. Cloud sat cross-legged beside her, scrubbing at his engraved sword, reddened water dripping from the heavy blade. Being in sunlight; the birdsong; the scent of flowers; it all helped soften the memories. Light and warmth. Nothing like the cold, dead brightness of the lands beyond those strange hallways. Not Byrgenwreth. Somewhere else; where strange creatures could induce a frenzied loss of control on sight and where silent figures - by their armaments seemingly former hunters - would attack without provocation. The realm of the Amygdala and worse.

That strange land was on no map Aeris could find. Retracing her route on paper did not help; through Yahar'Gul, through Advent Plaza and after fighting the creature called down from the moon she had gone to- Where precisely? Some place other than the region immediately adjacent to the unseen village. The place, the castle her journey concluded seemed as ephemeral and elusive as Gehrman's domain, both locations forever on the cusp of twilight. But the hunter's workshop and the Doll had been calming, peaceful. The nightmare realm of Micolash and those she found past him was anything but. Those awful wails as if from a newborn- But newborn from what?

Did something connect that impossible building and Gehrman's domain? Aeris shook her head. She unwound the bandages from around the saw-cleaver's blade. Stained with blood; just like everything else. Definitely in need of replacement. The haft and hinge needed checking, and even if it was still in good repair, the blade could do with sharpening. Far too easy to clip brick during a skirmish and dull the cutting edge.

All being well, the next hunt would not involve Gehrman or the Doll. And hopefully no future hunt would ever again allow her a glimpse of a space beyond the stars in the night sky, of something vaster, cold, hostile and utterly malevolent. It would be as much as she could hope for to never see those different, unfamiliar stars and the beings that writhed between them. Focus. She needed to hang onto the memory of the Spring sky. With any luck it would sustain her in the Autumn nights ahead.


	2. Choosing to Continue

Aeris settled beside the bonfire, too tired to care about anything but resting. Her sword thudded into the dusty ground nearby. No matter; she would deal with it later, damaged blade or no. Her back ached, her arms ached, her legs hurt more than anything. Immediate relief was right there in her pouch courtesy of her collection of effigies. No. Too rare a resource to waste on a whim; she could cope with the pain and her withered skin for now. Her limbs were still strong. All she needed was a moment to rest before moving on.

How many times now had she sat beside a fire just like this one, stared into similar flames and tried vainly to remember? Back to the before; a time when she was not caught in an endless chain of rebirths, back to her distant past. Both time and the darksign on her shoulder had robbed her of so much. By implication she - and the other Undead - must have lived a normal life once. Or at least something that she might still consider normal contrasted with her present.

Aeris took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She needed to think of something. Best not to dwell on the very recent past; the route she took to reach this bonfire. How, after ascending to the pinnacle of the windmill, she entered a lift that carried her still further up. Up and up to an impossible height and an impossible place; this fortress of black iron and lava.

Focus. Sometimes she could catch fragments of before in the depths of her mind. The moments preceding her arrival in Majula, before her fall from the ancient gateway of Drangelic. She had striven for this place, walked through the driving rain and journeyed under the blistering sun. A time when the weather could still touch her. Quite different from her current emptiness; an Undead nearing the limit of sentience and feeling so little. Leaving the fireside would allow her body to grow chill once more, but it was not cold in the same way. Remarkable that she could remember a time when external temperature affected her and yet the specific memories of rain or sun on her skin eluded her.

There were two memories she turned to more than any other, even as they seemed poised to agonizingly slip away forever. The first was a hazy memory of a figure in a wooden shack somewhere. The figure's hunched form and strained voice predicted Aeris's journey to this kingdom, foretold the slow rot of her thought processes. Aeris had come here, drawn inexorably as much as she might have once resisted. She would likely have rejected the words of prophecy spoken back and taken every route but the one leading her here to no avail. In the end the pull had been too strong; it must have been. She was here.

The second memory was little more than a fragment seemingly somehow resistant to the dissolution that claimed her past, a single moment still close to coherent and clear; a room. The room was important. Or perhaps not so much the room, but its contents. So hard to tell now. A sensation of sunlight outside, rays of light filtering in around the edges of shutters. A figure; not the hunched form of the prophetic woman, but someone else. Someone significant. Not an Undead, not a Hollow. Someone human.

The thought always brought her close to amusement. How far back did her memory reach to somehow involve a living human like that? Their name lost, though she might easily have never known it at all. The figure might have had blond hair and a sorrowful expression. The image felt right despite its existence on the limit of Aeris's memory. Try as she might she could not focus any harder or extract even a sliver more detail of that room and that figure. The more she tried, the more her memories melted away and left her nothing but frustrating shadows cast by an unreachable truth.

If she carried on, if she focused too hard then her memories began to overlap; her arrival in Majula merged with the the boat crossing the shallow lake. Was that the splintery planks of a row boat or the bark of the tree covered in fireflies beneath her hands? Aeris stopped and opened her eyes. A few more moments and then she would need to move on. The quest remained and that seemed all she had left; seek the king. How long had she been striving for that quest? Another impossibility; time was as moldable and resistant to interrogation as the land itself.

Those she met here were often as ignorant as she about a life before arriving in his kingdom and even their own personal reasons to have sought out this place. Some mentioned a kind of savior in the distant past, someone had once and might again save the world. Always the same figure and always the same action; time after time. The thought came to her in the moments Aeris felt she understood the world, when she could cope with whatever an enemy might throw at her. The moment when perseverance paid off and the often impossibly lumbering hulk of a huge opponent fell to one of her sword blows and lay dead at her feet. In those moments, Aeris could begin to believe that the rumors might somehow be about her. And if she was so important than there must be other records of her past, her former life; some idea of who that figure in the room had been. A spark of hope; the chance she might learn lost truths.

But those moments were often nearly eclipsed by the rest of her existence and only served to demonstrate how wrong she was to even dream of such a thing. How could she be a prophecised hero when she failed over and over again? Strike at an enemy with all her might and she more often than not died as claws, blades, teeth and worse hit her with speeds almost beyond her reflexes. Something would always catch her in the end, send her tumbling first to the ground and then into darkness before she awoke beside the last bonfire she rested at. And in those moments she had no choice but to get to her feet and make her way back to that same enemy to try all over again.

Most of the time it would make no difference and the sequence would repeat almost identically. Eventually - or at least it seemed since she had succeeded each time so far - she would be victorious and could advance a little further on her journey. It was not as if she had much choice; strive to advance or remain beside the fire until the last vestiges of her consciousness slipped away and she became Hollow. When that happened she would lose even the bonfire.

Would it be so bad? To die and be reborn like the others in this land? No grand mission, no objective. All she would do - be able to do - was sense life and seek to extinguish it. No. No, she could not do that. Would not do that; it was not her way to simply wait for the end to claim her. She might not be the hero of old; she might not be the savior of the world, but she could and would do whatever she still could.

But was that the trap? Was she so different to the Hollows even now? Struggling to her feet time and time again to seek out an enemy to eliminate? Yes. It was a mantra invoked so often now. Something to keep herself going. She was no Hollow; she remained Undead and with enough sense to alter her tactics as circumstances required. Time to get moving. Aeris pushed herself up and heaved the sword onto her shoulder. Unlike a Hollow she had chosen to keep on trying, chosen to keep on pushing forward. No Hollow acted as the Undead did. No other Undead acted as Aeris did. She would continue.


	3. At Long, Long Last

The stranger had spent the last minute or so scrambling up the access ladders on the outside of the rocket; Aeris looked around as they reached her in the midsection. Blond hair, blue eyes, seemed kind of lost. "Hi. What brings you up here?" She closed the access panel; the wiring still looked fine. Like yesterday and the day before. And the day before that. The rocket was ready to go as soon as the word came through. Then off into space at long, long last.

The stranger scratched the back of his head. Was he nervous? "I, er, heard the Captain was here?"

"Captain?" Aeris scrambled to her feet, tugged her glove off and stuck out her hand. "That's me. Aeris Highwind, but most folks call me 'Captain'." Was that a SOLDIER uniform? The glow in his eyes was pretty much confirmation, though he was pretty short for someone in the program. And he was here because? Oh! Was he here as Rufus's bodyguard? Okay. Calm. No point in getting excited yet.

The man took her hand and shook it. "Cloud Strife."

"So, Cloud. What can I do for you?" She looked him up and down as she spoke and froze. Might have been a better way to voice that question. Especially given the flush that formed on Cloud's cheeks and the tightness in her chest. Not wholly unwanted though.

His smile seemed nervous and he glanced away a moment later, his gaze drawn to the maintenance corridor they stood in. "What is... this?"

Was this guy not part of Rufus's entourage? Interesting coincidence if so, a SOLDIER showing up ahead of the leader of Shinra's visit to restart the space program. Or was he part of the guard unit but had paid no attention to their destination? That seemed unlikely. But Rufus was coming here and what else would bring the new President of Shinra to Rocket Town? Every other time they sent Palmer to tell them the budget could not support restarting the project so to sit tight until next year and hope he could save them from any more cuts. So; random attractive SOLDIER shows up to ask her about the rocket. "You never heard about the space program?" Cloud shook his head. Aeris grinned. "This all came out of R and D during the war. This town isn't far from the old frontlines."

The remark seemed to puzzle Cloud. Odd; he looked about old enough to have served in the conflict - that looked like a First Class uniform he was wearing; no way could someone as young as him have gotten that high up the ranks unless he'd been with SOLDIER five years or more. "What... What does a power company need something like this for?"

"Nothing." That befuddled him. "Back when they just made weapons, the techs soon figured out the bigger the rocket, the bigger the explosive it could carry. And then someone had the bright idea of if the rocket didn't explode, then maybe it could carry people." She brushed past him and leant against the doorway. Rocket Town below her; the wide blue sky above. The last frontier. "Our world's not as huge as people think. I mean, yeah, it's big, but it feels like I've seen all of it. But up there?" She pointed. "Up there it just goes on and on. Forever."

"Forever," Cloud echoed. He stared out the doorway. "I'd like to see that."

Aeris chuckled. "Been a dream of mine for a long time now." She turned back to her guest. "Still, once upon a time there was enough appetite to get us started on potential commercial ventures in low-orbit. And some fanciful stuff about finding other civilisations. Somewhere out there anywhere." And need something other than rockets. They had lost so much time with the delays in relaunching; they needed to get back up to speed and really start looking into those alternate propulsion systems. Her good mood faltered; same as always. All her dreams and she was still stuck here; waiting. "We never got a chance to find out though."

Cloud glanced around as if looking for an obvious fault. "Did it not work?" He winced. "Obviously not; I would have heard something. Wouldn't I?" A frown creased his forehead.

"You would." Aeris sighed. "But the rocket does work and it can make it into space. Or at least it should have. We hit a snag on launch day." Cloud raised an eyebrow. "One of our techs didn't manage to finish the safety checks in time and so we had to abort. Meant she lived, but the delays cost us badly." She scowled. "After that we just became less and less of a priority."

"You never got another chance?"

"No. But since Rufus is coming then maybe-" She smiled, her positive mood returned. Good news soon. "Sorry, rambling. Doubt that was why you came over to talk, huh?"

Cloud was frowning. "Rufus? Rufus Shinra is coming here?" His hands clenched.

Odd reaction to his boss. "Well, yeah. Figured you-"

"I'm not with Rufus." Cloud cut her off. The name seemed to have soured him somewhat.

Aeris folded her arms. "Yeah, I got that. So why did you come to see me?"

Cloud blinked, swallowed, wrong-footed once again. "We- That is my friends and I- We need to get across the sea. So we got here not long ago, and we saw your plane and your rocket and-" He licked his lips, his hand scratching at his neck again. "Can we borrow your plane?"

"My plane? You mean the Tiny Bronco?" He nodded and Aeris scowled. "No way." She shook her head. "That's all I got left."

"We-" He stopped, nodding awkwardly, seemingly unsure how to react. "Sorry. Thanks anyway. Um. Good luck with the rocket." He scrambled back down the ladder as fast as he could. Aeris watched him, suspicion getting the better of her. Wasn't hard to spot Cloud as he left the Rocket and headed straight for the inn; that blond hair stood out a mile. Good. He was staying well away from her house.

She might have considered offering a lift if he had paid. But to give the plane up? No way. And she was not doing anyone any favours. Not after Shinra abandoned the Shinra-26 to sink into the mud for all these years. Not after they took the Highwind - her pride and joy - and did nothing with it. The Tiny Bronco was hers - and no one was taking it from her. A movement out the corner of her eye; three helicopters setting down outside the town. Looked like the occupants were wearing standard Shinra infantry uniforms. He really was here then. Rufus Shinra. The man who held her future in his hands. Aeris scrambled for the ladder. Now they could get back on track.


	4. Extra Protection

Aeris crept closer as Cloud withdrew the last sword from his harness. He placed it on the ground beside the others, shrugged the heavy-duty webbing over his head and sat down heavily. "I'm impressed," she said.

Cloud's lips twitched into an almost smile before he flopped onto his back with a sigh. "Just need a minute," he murmured.

She nudged the nearest hilt with her foot. "You could sell some of them you know. No need to carry each and every one of them." Aeris crouched and pulled at the nearest sword. She could raise the blade from the ground, but more than that would be beyond her. That Cloud could wield them at all was impressive. To move with such speed and grace as he did was a testament to the effectiveness of the SOLDIER enhancements.

"I guess." Cloud sighed and sat up, hunching forward. "But they do all have their uses."

"Uh-huh." Aeris glanced at him and turned back to his weapon collection. "Were you as much of a hoarder back when you signed up with Shinra?" Wait; that wasn't a sword hilt.

"A hoarder?" He frowned. "I..." Cloud shook his head. "Never had much to hoard." He flinched and looked away from her into the wilderness.

"Didn't mean to upset you. Just curious." The weapon looked a lot like the wooden bats people used in baseball games back in Midgar. Unless she had missed something, none of those bats had what had to be a hundred nails driven into one end.

"Not upset." Odd note of panic in his voice. He made a frustrated noise. "There's something-"

"Do you need this one?" Aeris picked up the bat. Her movements dragged Cloud's attention back onto her.

"Careful with that-" He held out a hand to stop her; she pulled the bat out of his reach and shifted the weapon in her hand.

"There's really an ideal circumstance for something like this?" Aeris raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well-" Cloud shot her an embarrassed smile and scratched at the back of his head. He pulled a sword onto his lap, rubbing at some invisible imperfection in the blade with his fingers.

Aeris twisted the weapon around and studied it. The nails all looked discoloured, rusted or bent, but were still sharp. Should still be capable of causing a fair amount of damage "There's no materia slots. Are you sure this one has a use?"

"Okay, I haven't actually had a chance to use that one."

Aeris hefted the bat and tested the weight. "Any particular reason?"

"Doesn't have the reach of a sword."

She nodded and got to her feet. "Not as useful for you." The bat moved easily with a few experimental swings. "I think I can make use of it though."

"The staff gives you more reach." Cloud looked up at her, gaze tracking the bat as she gave it another swing with as much force as she could muster.

"I know." More swings, the bat swishing through the air. At first she swung as if to hit an invisible ball; soon it was to strike at an imaginary opponent. Connecting this with a monster skull would do far more damage than the blunt edge of her staff. "But my staff's no good for close-up fighting. What if something does get right up close to me? What then?" She studied the bat again and rested it on her shoulder.

Cloud smiled. "Okay, you have a point. But I promise I won't let that happen."

"I'm glad you care so much about my safety; you're very sweet." She grinned back at him. He looked worried as she let the grin fade. "But..." She bounced the bat against her shoulder. "Say you're not with me. What then?"

"Hey." He pointed at himself. "Bodyguard. Remember?"

"That you are." Interesting he held onto that after everything else that had happened. "But what if you're distracted or fighting something else? What if-" She swung the bat with both hands. Even the Turks would think twice if they came near her when she had this. "What if you're fighting Sephiroth and - I don't know - the Turks come at me?" Her hypothetical situation seemed to have put Cloud into a quandry; he frowned and stared down at the ground. "Could happen. And if it can happen, I would like to make sure I'm not going to get captured or killed." She swung again. "I reckon I can handle this one." Aeris smiled at him. "So; can I borrow it?"

Cloud stared at the bat for a long moment, glanced up at her and sighed. "It's a pretty primitive weapon. There's a lot you'd need to bear in mind-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Be careful. Don't touch the pointy bits." Aeris nodded and crouched beside him. "I'll be careful." Cloud still seemed to be mulling the request over. "You said this one doesn't have a good reach and you've never had a chance to. And it seems an odd choice given the lack materia sockets." Still nothing. "Okay, so, if the situation arises when you need it, I'll trade you for one of the others-"

He blinked. "That doesn't seem a good idea. You could hardly-"

Aeris talked over him. "Let me worry about that. I want another weapon to hand. Like if worse comes to worst, or you're somewhere else, or I'm on my own-"

"Alright, alright!" Cloud huffed and folded his arms. "You can borrow the bat."

"Thank you, Cloud." Aeris kissed his cheek. Cloud sucked in a hasty breath and Aeris paused. "Cloud?" He turned to look at her and she kissed his lips. A moment passed. And another. Difficult to stop, but- She pulled back. "Really. Thanks." Aeris bounced up onto her feet; Cloud's face was bright red. "We should probably catch up with the others." She strolled towards the path and the agreed meet-up point for today.

"Hey, wait up!"

Aeris walked for a few more paces as metallic clangs sounded behind her. She turned on her heel; Cloud was trying to gather up all his blades and slot them back into the harness as fast as possible. "Really, thank you for this!" Cloud was solely focused on his arsenal and did not respond. "I'll consider it an additional debt. So..." A grin he missed. "If the first date goes well, this'll guarantee you a second." Not convinced he heard that, but it would be a nice surprise for the future. Aeris strolled on and waited for Cloud to catch up.


	5. Stargazing

The long day in the blistering heat of Costa del Sol had been a wonderful response to the artificial chill of the ship and the events that transpired within. Aeris lounged in one of the hammocks strung up here and there along the beach as the sky darkened above her. The breeze rocked her gently, the temperature slowly falling as the sun sank below the horizon. Could she ever get sick of seeing the sky like this? Back in Midgar, vast metal plates obscured the view from the slums. Up on the plates themselves, a veil of mist forever hid the sky from her. Since she left Midgar, there was far less in the way.

Near Kalm clouds dotted the heavens, the colour of the sky shifting from the dull orange of sunrise to a vivid blue around midday before turning red as night approached. The interruptions to her viewings once they left the town were thankfully brief; the Mythril Caves and Junon were not well placed to let her see the open sky. But now they were across the ocean and taking a break; she was free to observe as much as she desired.

Aeris shivered in the breeze. Odd it could now be so cold after being so hot during the day time. Tifa had at least insisted they all slather themselves in sunscreen well before they reached the beach and started splashing around in the cold water. It almost seemed an unnecessary delay, a precaution too far, but she and Yuffie listened to their friend. Good advice in the end; some other visitors left the beach wincing at angry patches of red skin. None of that for her or her friends. Costa del Sol was wonderful; there had been moments through-out the day when their time here seemed like something out of a television advert; the sun so bright, the sand so golden, and no one wearing all that much - modesty permitting of course. Hard to believe it had only been a month since they left Midgar.

Hojo's intrusion earlier in the day had lost its sting by now, even if his unwanted words had left her feeling aimless for a frustrating amount of time. By the time she plucked up enough courage to head down to the beach again, he was gone, his beach chair empty. Aeris peered over the edge of the hammock and back towards his former location. No sign of him still. Better or worse like that? Better he was not here at least, but worse in that it would be good to at least know where he was - if just to get away from him as quickly as possible.

She shook her head. Never mind the scientist; she wanted to see the stars before joining the others in the hotel. There had been days since she met Avalanche when the world seemed too big; too much to see and too much to do. Midgar, while technically vaster than any other city on the Planet, was minute when contrasted to the scale of the world. Even now she had seen a mere fraction of it all. So different to the metal and lifeless dirt in Midgar. So many varities of terrain out here; water, grass, sand, potentially snow later on. Snow was a fascinating concept - and difficult to imagine. Somewhat like ice-cream but also not. Something like the frost in Mom's freezer, but softer maybe? In any case the contents of the appliance contrasted poorly with snow-swept scenes on television. With any luck she would see for herself.

Another shiver. Maybe a blanket would be a good idea; as absurd as that notion seemed before under the hot sun. But then wearing anything more than her bikini would have been intolerable. No; she could cope with this. It was not that cold and even then only when constrasted with midday. Aeris blinked. Was that-? Yes! The first star glinted in the darkening blue sky. Now she could go inside. Or- Aeris wriggled. Despite the chill in the air, it was comfortable in the hammock. If she held out a bit longer-

"Hey." She glanced up. Cloud stood beside her; he was still in his swim-shorts, but seemingly in deference to the chill was now wearing a t-shirt.

"Hi Cloud." She smiled at him and returned her attention to the sky. Where was the second star? "Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did. Did you?" He glanced around the beach.

"I did too."

Cloud nodded. "Was wondering where you'd gotten to though."

Aeris smiled. "Just here. Watching the sky. I know everyone else is used to it, but to me it's..." She trailed off.

"All new," Cloud finished her sentence.

"Yeah." Yet another shiver as the wind picked up a little more.

"Cold?"

"A bit." Aeris wrapped her arms around herself. "Not too bad. Just wanted to see a few more stars. You could keep me company if you like. For a few more minutes?" Cloud did not move. She sighed. "Don't worry. Time for dinner I guess-" Aeris struggled upright.

"We can wait," Cloud said hastily, glancing back towards the inn. "I mean there's still time before dinner. So you can see more of the stars?" He glanced at the hammock.

"Thank you. You okay out there or-" Aeris grinned. "You want to get in?"

Cloud flushed. "Uh. Well, it would help keep you warmer?"

"How could I refuse?" Aeris squirmed away from him and clung to the edge of the hammock as Cloud struggled up and onto the fabric. Their combined weight bent the trees at either end with a loud creak and the hammock sank towards the sand. Fumbling hands and shoulders digging into sensitive skin for a few moments until Cloud squirmed into place, the two of them lying shoulder to shoulder. Nope. Not comfortable like that. "Cloud? If you move your arm here-" Aeris sat up and nudged his arm across the hammock. She settled back against him, his arm around her shoulders. "Better."

"Never done this before," Cloud murmured, his hand brushing against her upper shoulder.

"Me neither." Aeris wriggled closer to him. "But this is nice." She sighed contentedly. "And you are wonderfully warm." The heat of Cloud's body contrasted wonderfully with the increasingly cool air around them. Even harder to move now. And there was the second star of the night. How many more before they gave up and went inside?


	6. Prophylactic Use in Survival Situations

What should have been nothing more than a brief detour down an interesting looking forest path seemed to have instead gotten Cloud and Aeris lost. Well, not so much lost as detached from their companions. Aeris's PHS showed no bars of reception, and no amount of shouting by either her or Cloud got any kind of response from the rest of Avalanche.

At least it was not hard to figure where the two of them had gone wrong - the suspect fork in the road was easy to locate. Working out how far behind the pair of them were was that much harder. Sooner or later the others would notice they were missing, turn back and look for them. For now-

"I don't like the look of that," Aeris said. Heavy, dark clouds had been drawing closer for the last half hour and promised a deluge in the near future. "We should sort out some kind of shelter." Improvised of course; neither had tent duty today; all Aeris and Cloud had with them were their own bags. Better than nothing, but they offered little protection against an imminent rain storm.

"Yeah. Good plan." Cloud nodded and cast around. "No caves or anything I can see though."

"Not a problem." Aeris darted into the tree line and gathered some fallen branches. "I read all about this." When the exterior of Midgar was inaccessible she experienced it second hand. The next best thing to seeing the world had been to read about it as much as possible; that included pouring over any number of guides on how to survive in the wilderness with almost nothing.

Following her instructions Cloud helped lean the branches together and cover them with a sufficient layer of foliage to offer somewhere dry to wait the rain out. Not the best shelter but workable in the situation. A distant roll of thunder sounded as Aeris took stock of her personal supplies. "Matches, notebook, water purification tablets, condoms-"

"Condoms?" Cloud spluttered and stared at her in confusion.

Aeris met his gaze for a long moment. "Yes. Condoms." Cloud's face reddened. "Always a good idea to have them to hand."

Cloud coughed. "Well, yeah. Obviously."

"For more than that." Aeris resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Cloud squirmed. "Practical demonstration then? Before the rain starts?" She seperated out the first foil packet and peeled it open. "We're going to use this one for water storage."

"Water?" He looked baffled.

"I didn't have either of the canteens in my bag. Did you?" Cloud shook his head. "Didn't think so. Come on; the river isn't far. Lets get some drinking water in this." She held up the prophalyactic.

"Can you really do that?" Cloud stared at the condom in her hand.

"Sure. Condoms are really durable, but-" Aeris paused and unlaced her boot. It would not be comfortable walking without a sock, but keeping the condom intact was more important.

Cloud scrambled to his feet as she ducked out of the shelter and headed for the nearby stream. A quick scavenge for a stick and she was all set. It was not as if they would remain lost for long, but again: preparation was important and so was drinkable water. "I'm using the sock for protection." She smiled. "I know; seems absurd, but it's easy to puncture one of these."

"Wouldn't know..."

Aeris knelt by the stream and unfurled the condom over her fingers, sliding it up and off each time until it was fully extended. "Now; watch." She dipped the condom into the water and let the stream's flow fill it. The resulting container was heavier than expected but she could cope. Aeris pulled the filled condom onto her lap and tied the end with the stick. Now the fun part; wrestling the squishy, awkward shape into her sock. "I'll put one of the purification tablets in when we get back. And then - tada! Drinking water."

Cloud made a face. "Not sure I want to drink from that."

"Don't be squeamish." Aeris prodded his shoulder. "It's not like it's been used. And-" She fumbled the packet from her pocket and smiled. "Thought so. This one's strawberry flavoured. Is that better?"

"A little." His fiddled with his bracer. "It is better than dying of thirst I guess."

"Obviously. Now we're pretty much set." They hurried back to the shelter, Aeris clutching the makshift canteen to her side. "Worst comes to worst, as long as we have condoms, we'll be fine."

"Really?"

"Guess SOLDIER never went in for survival stuff?" Odd that the military organisation had no training for when their operatives wound up in the wilderness with no supplies. Then again official published articles were all she had to go on; a lot of detail regarding SOLDIER remained a deeply guarded secret. Even Zack had been cagey regarding what he did in anything more than vague general terms.

He shook his head. "Not like this anyway. Never had to rough it either-" He frowned. "No, we did some times... I think? When did-" Cloud shook himself. "Anyway." He coughed. "You, er, said we'd be fine?"

"Huh?" Aeris blinked at him.

"If we had them-" Cloud gestured at her improvised container. "-we'd be fine? Like we really can use them for other stuff?"

"Lots of things. Fortunately we have matches, but if we didn't-" She hefted the condom again.

"You can use them to start fires?" Aeris nodded; possibly not how he expected but definitely possible. "I'm impressed."

Aeris grinned. "Also usable as fire starters as well. And making sling-shorts if we need to hunt anything - hope it doesn't come to that today though. Great for first aid; they're perfect as a sterile dressing. If it gets cold-" She smirked in the humid air. "-not here obviously. But they can keep your head warm in a pinch. If we need to cross water we can inflate them for floats."

Another roll of thunder - much closer this time and the first drops of rain began to fall. Aeris walked faster. "We could use them to tie stuff together when packing. If we need to fish we can make fish bobbers with them. Stuff them with moss and other soft things and we can make pillows..." She ducked into the shelter, Cloud a step behind her. A moment later the heavens opened and the landscape blurred beyond a curtain of rain.

"Just in time." Cloud breathed a sigh of relief.

Aeris gently undid the knot in the end of the water-filled condom and pushed a purification tablet inside. Water sorted. And now; how to best pass the time until the rain stopped? Ah. She laid the filled condom to one side and retrieved another foil from her bag.

"There's still a few more uses. If you're interested?" Cloud nodded. Aeris pushed at his chest; after a moment he caught on and lay back; Aeris swung her leg over him and settled onto his hips. "Now for these usages I was considering a very-" She smirked at him. "-hands on, practical demonstration." Aeris held up the unused condom as Cloud's lips curled into a grin. "Shall I continue?" His body responded for him and she wriggled on top of him. "I think I'll take that as a yes."


	7. Cloud of the Mountain

Life, Aeris Gainsborough decided, had become somewhat odd of late. The strange descent into surreality began two days previous when her increasingly unbearable fiance - Rufus Shinra - intruded in on her expedition without warning or invitation. He turned up out of the blue with two suspicious lackeys (or 'Turks' as he insisted on calling them) and immediately commenced on a campaign designed to convince her to go back to Midgar as soon as possible. Like yesterday. That bit she could deal with and insist that no, she was staying with the expedition. Not exactly taking it in his stride, Rufus announced if she wasn't leaving then neither was he. Which would have been fine but for the fact that his mere presence seemed to provoke an ever unfolding disaster as time went on. He patronised, insulted and managed to get her guides injured; dismissed every concern and warning she ever voiced; flat-out ignored every gentle attempt to make him go somewhere - anywhere - else. In constant need of rescue and forever whining about the lack of room service options in the dense jungle, her patience with him was near exhausted.

But despite Rufus's irksome presence, his arrival was down-right sensible compared to what happened next. Her baseline for normal was now somewhat tempered thanks to the odd moment her party caught sight of the towering bulk Mount Nibel and felt the need to coo with appreciation. A moment later a disembodied voice that no one mentioned after informed them that they should be experiencing 'awe' and spelled out the word. The group made the appropriate sound and left it at that.

That had happened hadn't it?

Following that little incident, Rufus decided he would locate the mythic talking cat - the entire reason for the expedition - himself and within the next hour. Rufus's well-meaning (to a point anyway) actions landed them face to face with some kind of electric lynx. Her fiance ignored her recommendation of no sudden movements and no loud noises, screamed, tried to run and managed to knock himself out on a tree branch. Leaving Aeris alone facing a dangerous predator with a hungry look in its eye.

Aeris whirled at the sound of something resembling a war-cry; a man with long, spiky blond hair, wearing nothing besides a loin-cloth, swung down from a nearby tree. He was moving right towards the creature. No, he was moving past the creature- His swing completed its arc into the trunk of another tree with a loud and violent crack. The display did at least attract the lynx's attention away from her, and the predator wound up struck by the flailing, half-naked form of the stranger as he dropped to the ground.

Both of them were back on their feet in an instant, the stranger unfazed by the predator's proximity or the recent and painful sounding collision with the tree. After a moment of circling and feeling each other out, the pair pounced at the same time- Into something rather less than a bloody brawl one might expect in the circumstances. Did the man - how to even phrase this - somehow 'know' the creature? Possible; he was speaking - and in standard no less - to it as they struggled. And taunting it?

Wait. Now the man was running rings around the lynx and at least gave the impression of fighting - if in a strange cartoony way reminiscent of those wrestling programs on television. The pair both plunged into the undergrowth and Aeris was alone again. Just her in a small clearing with an unconscious Rufus Shinra. Okay; no way all that happened. She had not had much to drink today; dehydration had to be the reason for that spectacle. The moment Aeris relaxed was the precise moment the lynx reappeared. Reappeared or another specimen turning up by chance? Irrelevant now- Before Aeris could react or prevent herself from reacting, the same blond man swept back through the clearing at speed on a vine and snatched her from the ground. They flew through the air, the jungle blurring around them as they moved. And into another tree branch.

Everything went black for a while after that.

A brief, murky memory of what might have been an airship caught in the branches of a huge tree in the centre of a large clearning. Something else there too; something furry and red, moving with purpose in the middle distance. The world was making less and less sense by the second.

More blackness after; then a proper awakening.

Aeris came to in a bedroom of sorts. Despite the soft bed, the duvet and the pillows this was not a mundane room. Huge sections of the walls were missing for one thing and left her with a clear view all the way down to the forest floor below. In spite of the openness, the room - as it were - felt enclosed. She froze as she scrambled out of the bed; a red cat-like creature was watching her. Its flame-tipped tale flicked from side to side, its one good eye scrutinizing her. First the lynx and now this? Aeris tensed-

The blond man swung into an adjacent room carrying a large bundle of bananas and looking somewhat pleased with himself. He continued in this style as he headed towards her until his foot caught the edge of a rug and he tripped forward. The bananas went up, the man fell- He bounced onto his feet in a second and caught the bunch as it dropped. "Feeling better?"

Now everything made sense. Aeris grinned. "Okay. It's that dream." The man looked at her, his expression blank. "I'm still having that same dream." She waved to the cat. "Hi there!"

"Hello," the creature rumbled.

Aeris leapt backwards, seeking to put something - anything - between her and the talking cat. "What does it want?"

"'It'," the creature said with a roll of its good eye. "Wants to check your vitals. It wouldn't do you much good to die of fever now would it?"

Aeris giggled and she doubled over with laughter. "That's funny!" she gasped some moments later. The man still looked perplexed. "I thought the cat was talking. But no. I mean, it is totally understandable; why wouldn't a cat want to check my vitals when I wake up in a tree house with room service and a-" She blinked and gestured at the man.

"Cloud," he replied.

"With a Cloud." The room seemed too hot and before she could brace herself, the room slid sideways and Aeris dropped back into the darkness.


	8. The Mask of Aeris

There was an artist's impression of her that Aeris Gainsborough, outlaw, was quite fond of. The image showed the figure known by a variety of different identities (including the somehow close to the mark 'The Gardener' based, presumably, on her outfit's colour) – some good, some bad, and a few outright insulting. He (a massive assumption on the artist's part) was clinging to the top of an intra-plate train and wore a wide-brimmed hat, a domino mask, a fluttering cloak and a sneer. If that was the best description Shinra had of her, she would be safe for the foreseeable future. Plus it helped divert attention away from the real her; while Shinra checked the tops of all the carriages each time the trains stopped, their target was inside and as comfortable as she could manage. The hat was tempting though.

Aeris paused as she crested the building in Sector Eight. Hat maybe. Cloak? No. The garment would likely prove nothing more than a liability and impossible to hide. Not that the hat would be any easier, as tempting as it was. She scrambled over the other side of the building and onto the drainpipe. To even consider wearing a big hat like that and then conceal it after a heist- Nope. Well, if she ever did figure out a way then maybe- She shook her head. Getting distracted; task in hand was more important. Her most complex and daring heist as yet.

Too many rich people lived up on the Upper Plate of Midgar. A good percentage lived in absolute luxury and made absurd profits while people were starving, sick and dying right under their feet. Aerit took it upon herself to even the situation as much as possible. Rob from the rich and give to the poor. And no sympathy for the losses she inflicted on her victims; she chose her targets with care. Always rich families and big businesses who would not suffer more than minor setbacks and an insignificant financial loss. And tonight it was the turn of Shinra themselves.

The materia storehouse should provide a clutch of Cure materia. Some for healing where there were those who could use it; the rest for trade. Materia remained a rare enough commodity below Plate to fetch a high price. A few of the shadier denizens down there liked to traffic in the more destructive variants – and the market for that materia was even better than for the restorative types. But materia like that held more risk of wide-spread devastation and injury in the wrong hands. Stick to Cure as the best opportunity. And if she could pull this off, the store would be a good source for some time to come.

Aeris slid down the drainpipe to the relevant window. High off the ground, wire running through the glass, but no alarm system. After-all, who would be trying a window at this height? She slid her pry-bar into the frame and forced the lock. Cheap; Shinra concentrated their protections elsewhere it seemed. Aeris slipped through the window and dropped with near silence into the storeroom, her rapier at the ready. Maybe a change of footwear at some point; her boots might be solid and hard-wearing, but they were not designed for sneaking like this. A little out of place given the rest of her costume barely produced a sound above a whisper; dark green leggings and shirt; green bolero jacket and bandana covering hair and ribbon. Mask and bag on top of the lot.

Codes labelled the storeroom shelves; none of them meant much to her. Not quite as straight-forward as she hoped. Aeris opened a few boxes of six orbs and ran her fingers over the top. Fire, ice- She moved further in. The sensations from a few materia gave her pause; not obvious what spells the spheres contained, and now was not the time to experiment. Cure was on a rack all on its own when she found it, a floor to ceiling stack of box upon box of materia. One shelf was more money than she could spend in a year. Focus. She could only carry so much; Aeris grabbed a carton from the shelf and shoved it into her bag.

"Freeze!" Someone behind her, and only three boxes in the bag. Gotten distracted again. Had to maintain focus if she made it out of this. Options? Few. Aeris turned slowly. The blue-suited guard paused and lowered his rifle. Aeris flexed her fingers around the rapier's grip as the guard struggled with the catches on his helmet and pulled it off. Younger than expected; gorgeous blue eyes and hair standing up all over the place. Helmet hair? "It's… It's you isn't it? The Dread Pirate?"

A touch of the theatrical helped in other situations; anything to obfuscate the facts and help her remain free. "But of course," she replied with a low bow and a smirk. Hard not to start laughing; caught by a guard more impressed with seeing her than doing his job – and attributing one the oddest and least meaningful of her many pseudonyms. Perhaps she should try and settle on one identity to avoid future situations like this.

"I always like reading about you when-"

"Strife!" The radio at the guard's waist crackled into life. "Strife, report in!"

Strife fumbled for the radio and Aeris tensed. A split second to skewer him if he gave her away; that might not be quick enough. "Nothing to report." She relaxed a little. This was interesting.

"Check the next sector then. I know I saw something," the voice intoned. "Could be that Emerald Herald." A consistent name. She definitely needed a consistent name.

"I copy," Strife replied, never taking his gaze from hers. He swallowed. "I won't tell."

"And for that you have my thanks." Aeris took a cautious step back towards the window and then another. "I am curious as to whether you are really doing your job if you let me get away?"

Strife frowned. "Maybe not. But it's true isn't it? You rob from the rich to give to the poor?"

Aeris shrugged. "I try to help out those who need it." Her back pressed against the wall. "I feel many deserve more than they have and others have more than they need."

He nodded. "The right thing to do."

"Glad you see it from my perspective, though I doubt your colleagues would be so open-minded." Best to cut losses now; not as much materia as she would like, but getting away was important. Was this store okay for a later visit? "But I am the one with the reputation, and I would rather not be captured. Would you object to my now taking my leave?"

Strife shook his head, his lips quirking into a grin. "Glad I got to meet you." His cheeks reddened. "You're prettier in person."

Aeris could not help her own smile. "I'm flattered, but kind sir; you've not seen all of me I hope?"

He took a step forward, his voice soft. "But your eyes are-"

"Strife!" The radio sounded again and Strife jumped. "Where are you, dammit?"

"And with that I take my leave." Aeris scrambled up through the window before Strife could say another word. She made it a building away before the alarms started and spotlights shredded the darkness. Nothing to do but run and not get caught. The bag with the materia in dropped between the plates as she ran along the buildings lining the edge. Her acquaintances below would pick it up; time to worry about them later. The next steps came with practised ease. She swung into the roof of Goblin's Bar and into the alley beside it where her few other provisions awaited.

Leggings rolled to her thighs, shirt folded around the mask and bandanna around that. The resulting bundle went into the bottom of the wicker basket with her flowers on top. Summer dress over her head. Bolero jacket inside out; red this way around. The jacket would help hide sweat stains from her exertions and some of the creases. The rapier slotted into the end of her staff. No change to her footwear, but how many people would even notice?

In under a minute, Aeris Gainsborough, flower girl, walked out of the alley ready to sell flowers to whoever wanted them. The disguise was more than simply posing as an innocent bystander; flowers in Midgar might attract attention, but the girl selling had an unthreatening air about her. Aeris exploited that to survey and scope out her targets. As yet no one had made any kind of connection.

Some minutes later, a group of Shinra guards ran into the plaza. Frantic gazes swept across her and dismissed her as a target. All but one. Strife caught sight of her and despite his best efforts, kept on finding reasons to stare at her. Had he recognised her? Possible, however unlikely. He said nothing to his companions; after a good fifteen minutes the search trailed off and the guards dispersed. All except Strife. He wandered over to her, glancing around in a way that could only attract more attention. She kept on smiling serenely, hoping no one would notice. "How much for a flower?"

"These?" Aeris said with as innocent tone as she could manage. "For you sir, one gil." She held up the basket and after a moment, Strife took a single flower from the mass.

He pressed a coin into her hand. "Nice to see you again," he said in a lower tone. Another glance around. "I really do think you're doing the right thing. And I think I can help. If you want?"

His eyes looked earnest. Aeris pressed her lips together. "That would be very good of you, kind sir."

"Call me Cloud," Strife said looking pained.

"Cloud then." Aeris licked her lips. "I think I would appreciate your offer. If you wish to buy more flowers, I will return here tomorrow. Or can you think of somewhere else I might sell my wares effectively?" She arched an eyebrow; Cloud's pupils dilated. Message received.

"I can think of a few places." He clasped the flower in both hands as he stepped back. "I'll be back tomorrow then."

"See you then."

He did not move. "Um." Another glance around. "Can I ask your name?"

"You may," she replied. "It's Aeris."

"Aeris," he repeated. "See you tomorrow, Aeris."


End file.
